Screens

Summary

First spotted on Game Boy Advance in 2002, Ubi Soft's Monster Jam: Maximum Destruction has finally made the trip into the realms of 3D gaming on GameCube.

Choosing from one of 25 officially licensed vehicles possessing names such as Grave Digger, Reptoid and Wild Thang, players are pitted against a similar league of monster trucks in a Twisted Metal-style bout of 'last truck standing'.

Each truck has a unique signature attack, which must be used to the fullest if you're to survive in this deadly arena with a bunch of raving lunatic drivers. And when mere brute force isn't enough, players can utilise several lethal weapons to inflict maximum damage on other competitors. Static objects like trees and oil drums can be hurled and you can even employ grappling hooks to rip parts off other trucks. If you're really lucky, with a little skilful manoeuvring, you might even be able to flip another truck onto its back.

Working through the ranks, a succession of wins results in a Champ Truck, which upgrades with special gold detailing and a 25 percent improvement in performance. In between matches, players can enter the local garage and spend their cash winnings on upgrades for their vehicles with purchases such as shocks, engines, tyres and transmissions.

Five standard modes of play, which comprise of Exhibition, Freestyle, Arcade, Championship and Mini-game, give players that much needed variety that the GBA version could never fully accomplish. Twisted Metal was a great game, and it's nice to see the continuation of the car-combat genre on next-generation consoles. It's a great laugh.